Senior Account Director

Cognitive Group | Part of the Focus Cloud Group; Reading; Hybrid; GBP 75,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

Cognitive Group | Part of the Focus Cloud Group is seeking an SME/C Account Director to cover Reading and the Thames Valley region in a hybrid role. You will manage a portfolio of mid-market customers and drive growth across Azure, M365/Modern Workplace, and Data & AI.

Based in Reading with coverage across Thames Valley, London and the South West, you will nurture long-term partnerships, lead complex deals and contribute to ongoing Microsoft certifications and training within a collaborative

Qualifications

• Experience in account management or solution sales at an MSP or Microsoft partner.
• Proven ability to sell to SMEs (100-500 users) and manage complex accounts.
• Credibility to engage at C-level and manage multi-service deals.
• Knowledge of the Microsoft cloud portfolio: Azure, M365/Modern Workplace, Power Platform, Data & AI, Security & Compliance.

Responsibilities

• Own the growth plan and act as the main commercial contact for your accounts.
• Build a healthy pipeline with cross-sell and upsell across Azure, Modern Workplace, Data & AI, and Security.
• Collaborate with pre-sales, solution architects and senior technical leadership to shape deals.
• Hit and exceed sales, pipeline and revenue targets.
• Lead bids and tenders (RFI/RFQ/RFP) with input from across the business.
• Keep CRM, forecasts and renewals accurate and up to date, with gap analyses to stay ahead of target.

Skills

Account management experience

Solution sales

C-level relationship building

Consultative selling

Strong communication skills

Emotional intelligence

Drive and resilience

Tools

Azure

M365/Modern Workplace

Power Platform

Data & AI

Security & Compliance

Job description

SME/C Account Director - Reading (Hybrid) | Thames Valley, London & the South West

The opportunity

A well-established Microsoft Solutions Partner and Managed Service Provider is hiring an Account Director to look after a portfolio of mid-market customers. You'll take on an established client base and own the commercial relationship from start to finish. You'll work with senior decision-makers to understand where their business is heading and show them how the Microsoft cloud can help them get there.

You'll be based in Reading and cover customers across the Thames Valley, London and the South West. The focus is on growing existing accounts rather than cold new-business hunting. That means building stronger relationships, keeping customers loyal, and finding new projects across the wider Microsoft stack.

What you'll be doing

• Act as the main commercial contact for your accounts and own the growth plan for each one.
• Build a healthy pipeline by spotting cross-sell and upsell opportunities across Azure, Modern Workplace, Data & AI and Security.
• Work with pre-sales, solution architects and senior technical leadership to shape and qualify deals.
• Hit and exceed sales, pipeline and revenue targets.
• Negotiate commercial terms and structure contracts that work for both the customer and the business.
• Run formal bids and tenders (RFI/RFQ/RFP), pulling input from across the business into strong submissions.
• Keep CRM, forecasts and renewals accurate and up to date, and use regular gap analysis to stay ahead of target.

What we're looking for

• A strong track record in account management or solution sales at an MSP or Microsoft partner.
• Experience selling into SMEs, ideally organisations of 100-500 users.
• The credibility to build trusted relationships at C-level and to manage complex accounts with several stakeholders and services.
• A good working knowledge of the Microsoft cloud portfolio (Azure, M365/Modern Workplace, Power Platform, Data & AI, Security & Compliance).
• Experience moving customers from transactional buying to long-term strategic partnerships.
• A consultative style, strong communication skills and high emotional intelligence.
• Drive, resilience and a hunger to keep learning, including willingness to complete Microsoft sales accreditations.

What's on offer

• Competitive base salary plus commission.
• Clear progression and strong investment in training and Microsoft certifications.
• Generous holiday allowance that increases with service.
• Pension, life assurance and a health cash plan.
• A range of lifestyle and wellbeing benefits.
• A friendly, social and inclusive culture.